Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Story 3 Narada's life history – Karma and Jnaana
Srimad Bhagavatham – A Spiritual Insight - Story 3 Narada's life history – Karma and Jnaana
Explanation
Karma or action is performance of any work – that which is performed or done is Karma which is derived from the Sanskrit root Kri meaning ‘to do’.
Jnaana means Jnaayathe anena ithi Jnaanam – knowing this or everything is called Jnaana or knowledge.
Any karma or action depends mainly on the doer or the Subject who does the action. But Jnaana or knowledge depends on the jneyam or the object of knowledge. Even in objective experience, the knowledge of a pot placed on earth depends mainly on the pot alone. It doesn’t depend on the person who sees the pot (even though the sense organs are important to see the pot but still it is not as important as the object of pot). But Karma mainly depends on the Subject or doer alone. The action of prayer depends on the doer alone – a person might pray by sitting & meditating – another person might pray by singing the glories of the Lord. Thus, any action depends on the doer alone whereas knowledge depends on the object of knowledge alone.
Any action can produce only four types of results.
Utpatti or creation – newly creation of objects.
Apti or attainment
Vikrithi or modification or changes
Samskrithi or purification
Any action cannot produce anything different from the above four types of results. Brahman or the ultimate reality is not something to be newly created as creation would ensure destruction which would make the reality a temporary one. Therefore, the ultimate reality is not something to be newly created. Similar is the case with attainment also – what is attained will surely be lost – hence if the ultimate reality is to be attained then it will surely be lost and make it a temporary reality. Modification or change also cannot bring about the ultimate reality as changes means it is subject to destruction. Purification means cleaning - if Brahman can be achieved through purification then Brahman will be lost through impurification also. This also will make the reality temporary.
Therefore Moksha or liberation or the realization of the ultimate reality can not be achieved through action since action depends on the doer whereas the knowledge of the reality depends on the reality alone & since action produces only four types of results through which the reality cannot be realized or attained.
Therefore, the scriptures proclaim that Jnaana or Knowledge alone is the way to realize one’s own eternal nature of Self or Consciousness.
Krishna says at the end of Gita
Ithi the jnaanam aakhyaatam guhyaat guhyataram maya
Thus I have taught you knowledge which is very deep and secret.
The very famous sloka of Svetashwatara Upanishad says
Yadaa charmavad aakaasham vestayishyanthi maanavaah
Tadaa devam avijnaaya dukhasya antho bhavishyathi
When people will be able to fold the sky like a mat, only at that time they will be able to eliminate the sorrows of life without knowing the luminous Self (this sloka first tells something which is impossible – folding the sky – thereby it points out that without knowing the Self, a person cannot get rid of sorrows).
What is knowledge????
Bhagavatham itself has said
Vadanthi tat tattva vidhah tattvam yad jnaanam advayam
Brahma ithi paramaatma ithi bhagavaan ithi shabdhyathe
Those who know the Reality or have knowledge call the Reality (which is Knowledge) as non-dual in nature and full of Knowledge - it is known as Brahman, Paramaatman, Bhagavan (meaning all these are synonymous to the ultimate reality).
Knowledge is thus knowing about one’s own real nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. Knowledge or realization is knowing that “I am the omni-present Self, one without a second”. Knowledge becomes perfect when the individual realizes his own state of eternal bliss – one without a second. At that time, no duality is perceived because whatever is being perceived is only the Self or Consciousness, one without a second. At that time, the individual who considered himself as an individualistic jeeva realizes his nature of Self or Consciousness in which the illusory world was superimposed like an illusory snake being superimposed on the rope. The world that one sees is constantly changing – it is only an illusion in the changeless substratum of Self or Consciousness.
This non-dual nature is very well known by the logic of Anvaya-Vyatireka.
Anvaya means co-existence – If Consciousness is there, then the world exists.
Vyatireka means co-absence – If Consciousness is not there, then the world ceases to exist, it doesn’t exist.
Therefore, we conclude that the world is dependent on Consciousness. There cannot be any independent existence to the world. This only means that the world exists in Brahman or Consciousness. But since the world is always changing & Consciousness is unchanging – the changing world can never even appear in the changeless substratum – therefore the world is a mere illusion in the reality of Consciousness. When the world is superimposed on the reality of Consciousness, it seems to exist.
The world is only names and forms of the ultimate reality of Consciousness even as various ornaments of gold are only names and forms of Gold. As names and forms are only mere appearances which has no existence of their own, similarly the world is only an appearance in Consciousness which is illusory and hence unreal.
Hence, what is real is only Consciousness or “I” or Brahman – this very Consciousness is what is termed as Brahman or Vishnu or Siva or Paramatma or Bhagavan or Krishna etc. Nothing exists apart from Consciousness – Consciousness existing, all the illusions seem to exist in Consciousness.
This Consciousness is that which pulsates in the heart of everyone as “I-exist, I-exist”. Thousands of scriptures & scriptural statements can be negated or refuted, but it is impossible to refute one’s own existence because it is self-luminous & doesn’t require any proof of its existence. But if a person assumes an external God, then the God becomes dependent on the existence of the individual. Without Consciousness present in the individual, God doesn’t have any existence at all. Imagine a God without Consciousness!!!! It is impossible to imagine such a God. Therefore Krishna says in Gita that God is not sitting in Vaikunta or Kailaas, but he is the very nature of every person – he sits in the heart of every person – whatever exists is God or Consciousness alone.
Knowing thus that “I am Consciousness and not this limited body and mind” is called Jnaanam or Knowledge. The very aim of Vedanta and human life is to realize one’s own eternal nature of Consciousness. Everyone is already the Self or Consciousness – there is no attainment of Self. But one has somehow forgotten his real nature of Consciousness. This has to be remembered through knowledge of the Self from the scriptures and the Guru or the teacher – one who is established in the scriptures. This remembrance is what is to be achieved through the various scriptures and Srimad Bhagavatham.
But the Self is not realized until the mind is purified. The Self is that which makes the mind work. The Self is compared to as the bottom of a tank – where the water is the mind. Until the water is not pure, the bottom is not known. Similarly until the mind is not pure, the Self is not known. The mind is the main cause of all sorrows and troubles. Mind goes outside through thoughts & the sense objects – these thoughts thus take gross objects form & becomes the world and sees the duality in the world. Until the mind turns introverted and turns back into its source of Self or Consciousness, the Self cannot be realized. Therefore purity of mind is a pre requisite for knowledge or realization. This purification is achieved through action performed without any expectation and as an offering to the Lord.
The different types of Karma that the scriptures proclaim are
Nitya karma – regular and routine karma like sandhya vandanam etc.
Naimittika Karma – incidental karma like when a person becomes a father or upanayana etc.
Sakaama karma – karma which are done with expectation of fruits
Nishkaama karma – karma without any expectations
Nisshidhha karma – prohibited action like smoking, drinking, adultery etc.
Scriptures tell that Sakaama and Nisshidhha karma are not to be performed – they should be avoided. A person should always try to do nishkaama karma. Even when he is doing gayatri puja, he has to do it without any expectation and as an offering to the Lord or the ultimate reality of Consciousness or Brahman.
When action is thus done, it purifies the mind as the mind doesn’t expect anything but remembers the Lord or Consciousness as the action is offered to the Lord. Thus, each moment remembrance of the Lord is there – this makes the mind one-pointed and concentrated. Such a concentrated mind turns inward & hence is able to contemplate on its own real nature of Consciousness thereby making one realize his own real and eternal nature of Consciousness.
Thus what is required through karma or action is to perform the action without any expectation and as an offering to the ultimate reality. This means each and every moment the seeker should have the knowledge in the mind that “there is nothing here except Consciousness, whatever is present is Consciousness alone, the duality perceived is only an illusion in Consciousness”. When this thought is kept and work is performed – the bondage of work & its fruits go away & the person realizes his own real nature of Consciousness. This is called Moksha or liberation or realization.
Liberation is thus not attaining something new but removal of ignorance and obstacles to knowing the ever-realized Self. That is the aim of Srimad Bhagavatham also to show that everyone is the ever-realized Self or Consciousness alone through various stories and imports.
Thus to conclude, Karma and Jnaana are opposed to each other like darkness and light. Karma cannot give liberation, only jnaana is possible to make one realize one’s own real nature of Self or Consciousness. But Karma done without any expectation and as an offering to the Lord (Nishkaama karma) purifies the mind and thereby makes one eligible to realize the Self through knowledge about one’s own real nature.
A seeker should remember that any amount of Karma whether it is good or bad, devotional or yogic cannot make one realize the Self. Jnaana or Knowledge about one’s own nature – knowing that one is already realized – alone removes the obstacles to the realized Self through removal of ignorance.
Explanation
Karma or action is performance of any work – that which is performed or done is Karma which is derived from the Sanskrit root Kri meaning ‘to do’.
Jnaana means Jnaayathe anena ithi Jnaanam – knowing this or everything is called Jnaana or knowledge.
Any karma or action depends mainly on the doer or the Subject who does the action. But Jnaana or knowledge depends on the jneyam or the object of knowledge. Even in objective experience, the knowledge of a pot placed on earth depends mainly on the pot alone. It doesn’t depend on the person who sees the pot (even though the sense organs are important to see the pot but still it is not as important as the object of pot). But Karma mainly depends on the Subject or doer alone. The action of prayer depends on the doer alone – a person might pray by sitting & meditating – another person might pray by singing the glories of the Lord. Thus, any action depends on the doer alone whereas knowledge depends on the object of knowledge alone.
Any action can produce only four types of results.
Utpatti or creation – newly creation of objects.
Apti or attainment
Vikrithi or modification or changes
Samskrithi or purification
Any action cannot produce anything different from the above four types of results. Brahman or the ultimate reality is not something to be newly created as creation would ensure destruction which would make the reality a temporary one. Therefore, the ultimate reality is not something to be newly created. Similar is the case with attainment also – what is attained will surely be lost – hence if the ultimate reality is to be attained then it will surely be lost and make it a temporary reality. Modification or change also cannot bring about the ultimate reality as changes means it is subject to destruction. Purification means cleaning - if Brahman can be achieved through purification then Brahman will be lost through impurification also. This also will make the reality temporary.
Therefore Moksha or liberation or the realization of the ultimate reality can not be achieved through action since action depends on the doer whereas the knowledge of the reality depends on the reality alone & since action produces only four types of results through which the reality cannot be realized or attained.
Therefore, the scriptures proclaim that Jnaana or Knowledge alone is the way to realize one’s own eternal nature of Self or Consciousness.
Krishna says at the end of Gita
Ithi the jnaanam aakhyaatam guhyaat guhyataram maya
Thus I have taught you knowledge which is very deep and secret.
The very famous sloka of Svetashwatara Upanishad says
Yadaa charmavad aakaasham vestayishyanthi maanavaah
Tadaa devam avijnaaya dukhasya antho bhavishyathi
When people will be able to fold the sky like a mat, only at that time they will be able to eliminate the sorrows of life without knowing the luminous Self (this sloka first tells something which is impossible – folding the sky – thereby it points out that without knowing the Self, a person cannot get rid of sorrows).
What is knowledge????
Bhagavatham itself has said
Vadanthi tat tattva vidhah tattvam yad jnaanam advayam
Brahma ithi paramaatma ithi bhagavaan ithi shabdhyathe
Those who know the Reality or have knowledge call the Reality (which is Knowledge) as non-dual in nature and full of Knowledge - it is known as Brahman, Paramaatman, Bhagavan (meaning all these are synonymous to the ultimate reality).
Knowledge is thus knowing about one’s own real nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. Knowledge or realization is knowing that “I am the omni-present Self, one without a second”. Knowledge becomes perfect when the individual realizes his own state of eternal bliss – one without a second. At that time, no duality is perceived because whatever is being perceived is only the Self or Consciousness, one without a second. At that time, the individual who considered himself as an individualistic jeeva realizes his nature of Self or Consciousness in which the illusory world was superimposed like an illusory snake being superimposed on the rope. The world that one sees is constantly changing – it is only an illusion in the changeless substratum of Self or Consciousness.
This non-dual nature is very well known by the logic of Anvaya-Vyatireka.
Anvaya means co-existence – If Consciousness is there, then the world exists.
Vyatireka means co-absence – If Consciousness is not there, then the world ceases to exist, it doesn’t exist.
Therefore, we conclude that the world is dependent on Consciousness. There cannot be any independent existence to the world. This only means that the world exists in Brahman or Consciousness. But since the world is always changing & Consciousness is unchanging – the changing world can never even appear in the changeless substratum – therefore the world is a mere illusion in the reality of Consciousness. When the world is superimposed on the reality of Consciousness, it seems to exist.
The world is only names and forms of the ultimate reality of Consciousness even as various ornaments of gold are only names and forms of Gold. As names and forms are only mere appearances which has no existence of their own, similarly the world is only an appearance in Consciousness which is illusory and hence unreal.
Hence, what is real is only Consciousness or “I” or Brahman – this very Consciousness is what is termed as Brahman or Vishnu or Siva or Paramatma or Bhagavan or Krishna etc. Nothing exists apart from Consciousness – Consciousness existing, all the illusions seem to exist in Consciousness.
This Consciousness is that which pulsates in the heart of everyone as “I-exist, I-exist”. Thousands of scriptures & scriptural statements can be negated or refuted, but it is impossible to refute one’s own existence because it is self-luminous & doesn’t require any proof of its existence. But if a person assumes an external God, then the God becomes dependent on the existence of the individual. Without Consciousness present in the individual, God doesn’t have any existence at all. Imagine a God without Consciousness!!!! It is impossible to imagine such a God. Therefore Krishna says in Gita that God is not sitting in Vaikunta or Kailaas, but he is the very nature of every person – he sits in the heart of every person – whatever exists is God or Consciousness alone.
Knowing thus that “I am Consciousness and not this limited body and mind” is called Jnaanam or Knowledge. The very aim of Vedanta and human life is to realize one’s own eternal nature of Consciousness. Everyone is already the Self or Consciousness – there is no attainment of Self. But one has somehow forgotten his real nature of Consciousness. This has to be remembered through knowledge of the Self from the scriptures and the Guru or the teacher – one who is established in the scriptures. This remembrance is what is to be achieved through the various scriptures and Srimad Bhagavatham.
But the Self is not realized until the mind is purified. The Self is that which makes the mind work. The Self is compared to as the bottom of a tank – where the water is the mind. Until the water is not pure, the bottom is not known. Similarly until the mind is not pure, the Self is not known. The mind is the main cause of all sorrows and troubles. Mind goes outside through thoughts & the sense objects – these thoughts thus take gross objects form & becomes the world and sees the duality in the world. Until the mind turns introverted and turns back into its source of Self or Consciousness, the Self cannot be realized. Therefore purity of mind is a pre requisite for knowledge or realization. This purification is achieved through action performed without any expectation and as an offering to the Lord.
The different types of Karma that the scriptures proclaim are
Nitya karma – regular and routine karma like sandhya vandanam etc.
Naimittika Karma – incidental karma like when a person becomes a father or upanayana etc.
Sakaama karma – karma which are done with expectation of fruits
Nishkaama karma – karma without any expectations
Nisshidhha karma – prohibited action like smoking, drinking, adultery etc.
Scriptures tell that Sakaama and Nisshidhha karma are not to be performed – they should be avoided. A person should always try to do nishkaama karma. Even when he is doing gayatri puja, he has to do it without any expectation and as an offering to the Lord or the ultimate reality of Consciousness or Brahman.
When action is thus done, it purifies the mind as the mind doesn’t expect anything but remembers the Lord or Consciousness as the action is offered to the Lord. Thus, each moment remembrance of the Lord is there – this makes the mind one-pointed and concentrated. Such a concentrated mind turns inward & hence is able to contemplate on its own real nature of Consciousness thereby making one realize his own real and eternal nature of Consciousness.
Thus what is required through karma or action is to perform the action without any expectation and as an offering to the ultimate reality. This means each and every moment the seeker should have the knowledge in the mind that “there is nothing here except Consciousness, whatever is present is Consciousness alone, the duality perceived is only an illusion in Consciousness”. When this thought is kept and work is performed – the bondage of work & its fruits go away & the person realizes his own real nature of Consciousness. This is called Moksha or liberation or realization.
Liberation is thus not attaining something new but removal of ignorance and obstacles to knowing the ever-realized Self. That is the aim of Srimad Bhagavatham also to show that everyone is the ever-realized Self or Consciousness alone through various stories and imports.
Thus to conclude, Karma and Jnaana are opposed to each other like darkness and light. Karma cannot give liberation, only jnaana is possible to make one realize one’s own real nature of Self or Consciousness. But Karma done without any expectation and as an offering to the Lord (Nishkaama karma) purifies the mind and thereby makes one eligible to realize the Self through knowledge about one’s own real nature.
A seeker should remember that any amount of Karma whether it is good or bad, devotional or yogic cannot make one realize the Self. Jnaana or Knowledge about one’s own nature – knowing that one is already realized – alone removes the obstacles to the realized Self through removal of ignorance.
# posted by vedanta : 9:18 AM
